Abum: Various Artists, Late Night Tales: Groove Armada (Late Night Tales)

The art of the mixtape lies not just in the selection of tracks, but also in how they’re segued.

As past mix masters, Groove Armada might be expected to bring a certain slickness to this, the second of their Late Night Tales sets, but they also show a refined ear beyond their comfort zone, with such gems as Ace’s “How Long” and Stevie Wonder’s “Tuesday Heartbreak” stirred in, along with a few left-field surprises by Chris Rea and Will Young.

But it’s the pairings that make the album work, like how The Human League’s Precinct 13-style “Things That Dreams Are Made Of” segues via a departing car into Roxy’s “Love Is The Drug”, and the way the Balearic sheen of African Dreams’ “Make A Living” slides into a remix of Midlake’s sublime “Roscoe”.

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